Page 20 - INSIGHT MAGAZINE_July2024

MEMBER PROFILE

Customer satisfaction is not just
a theory at Cambridge Carpet
Cleaning but a core principle that
has formed the foundation of this
family-owned business for more
than 50 years ago.
“You have to be flexible, that’s the key,”
says owner Chris Eldred, taking a moment
between calls at the company’s Bishop Street
headquarters. “You always have to do what
the customer wants, even if it doesn’t always
fall into your schedule.”
It’s a philosophy that became ingrained in his
personality since he began as a young teen
helping his father and company founder, the
late Don Eldred, after school cleaning offices,
eventually joining the company full time
when he turned 19. It was commonly known
that Don, who passed away in the summer of
2023 in his 85th year, often worked 12 to 16
hours a day.

COMPANY FOUNDER DON ELDRED
& HIS SON CHRIS ELDRED
“My dad’s theory was there was 24 hours in
a day, and you need to sleep six hours and
work the rest,” says Chris. “But that was how
he was built.”
A former employee of Savage Shoes Ltd. in
Cambridge, Don switched careers to become
a purchasing agent for the school board and
entered the carpet cleaning business as a
part-time venture after being impressed by a
demonstration of some new carpet cleaning
equipment. He went full time with Cambridge
Carpet Cleaning in 1971 and quickly began to
assemble a loyal group of customers thanks
to his honest approach and work ethic.
Hard work and honesty When Chris took over the business in 2013,
Don stayed on another five years helping out.
lead to longevity “He was a workaholic, and he wasn’t going
anywhere,” jokes Chris, recalling how his
father would be on the go often from 8 a.m.
to midnight.
It was a pattern that he would soon emulate,
sometimes working several days a week until
midnight or 1 a.m. to keep up with his clients’
needs.

20 Summer 2024 www.cambridgechamber.com